Regulations for Catholic chaplains in the United States Army and Navy /66/to) Regulations for Catholic Chaplains in the United States Army and Navy Regulations for Catholic Chaplains in the United States Army and Navy REGULATIONS FOR CATHOLIC CHAPLAINS IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY AND NAVY Besides the Canons of the Code, the Statutes of the Councils of Baltimore and the instructions contained in their Military Faculties, all Chaplains are bound by these special regulations: No priest will be accepted for a Chaplaincy, unless and until, he pre- sents, in writing, to the Chaplain Bishop, a letter of approval and recom- mendation, from his Ordinary, or proper ecclesiastical superior. Such other documents as are deemed neces- sary to estimate his canonical status, his mental and temperamental qualifications, must also be presented. Since the Chaplain Bishop has no permanent benefices, when Priests cease to be Chaplains, for any reason whatso- ever, they must return to their status quo ante. [ 3 ] Whenever a Chaplain’s Ordinary or ecclesiastical superior, shall request his detachment from the service, he must resign his commission immediately and return to duty in his diocese or religious organization. If, at any time, the Chaplain Bishop, at whose pleasure Chaplaincies are held, decides and directs that a Chaplain should, for the good of the service, re- sign his commission, and go back to duty in his diocese or religious organ- ization, he must comply immediately and without question. It will not be necessary for the Chap- lain Bishop to give any reason, except “for the good of the service,” for his decision in directing a Chaplain to re- sign. The Chaplain Bishop is the sole and only judge in deciding this matter. Since Chaplains are mostly at sta- tions remote from the Ordinariate, they are required to keep in contact with the Chaplain Bishop, by regular corre- 14 ] animarum of their stations, and a monthly account of their religious work and activities, must be sent to the Ordinariate. Chaplains have cumulative territorial jurisdiction within the limits of their stations and ships, but they are not per- mitted to perform marriages or bap- tisms of subjects, in other parishes, without the permission of the local Ordinary or pastor. Because a Chaplain’s jurisdiction over his own subjects is also personal, he must visit them and provide for their spiritual care, even when they live out- side the government reservation. Chaplains are not permitted to as- sume financial or legal obligations, which so change theft status, that they cannot return to their dioceses as freely unencumbered, as when they entered the Diocese Castfensis. Chaplains are also forbidden to be- come legal guardians over wards, whether they are relatives or not; nor in shall they, under any circumstances, legally adopt any persons, of any age, at any time. Because they are frequently deprived of the normal companionship of other priests, and because of their unusual mode of life, Chaplains are enjoined, in a special manner, to constantly cultivate a deep love for their daily Mass, their daily Office, daily spiritual reading, and daily recitation of the Rosary. Thus, they will be spiritually strengthened and divinely guarded and guided, in their high and holy ministry. Let all Chaplains be ever mindful of the ad- monition of St. Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, Chapter IX, Verse 27—“But I chastise my body and bring it into subjection: lest, perhaps, when I have preached unto others, I myself should become a castaway.” By order of the Chaplain Bishop. vj | ' , ! ' > -J ; 1 - : J M GEORGE J. WARING, (Seal) Chancellor. July i; 1918 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/regulationsforcaOOwari